2006 NFL Preview: The Tampa Bay Bucs

Quarterback- Chris Simms should his potential in the 2005 regular season and his youth in the 2005 postseason, with a poor performance against the Washington Redskins. Simms will have a better year in 2006, as he will get a wiser Cadillac Williams behind him and a plethora of targets in the receiving corps. There will be a competition among Luke McCown, Tim Rattay, and newly acquired Jay Fiedler to determine who will back up Simms. It is likely that Rattay and Fiedler will win because both are more experienced than McCown and can steer the Bucs in the right direction if Simms happens to go down at any point in the 2006 NFL season. Jon Gruden has to be happy with the depth at the quarterback position and should feel comfortable handing the quarterback duties to any of the three quarterbacks that make the roster.
2006 NFL Grade: B+

Running back/ Full back- Cadillac Williams had one of the best starts for a rookie running back in NFL history in 2005, but he faded due to injury and exhaustion towards the end of the season. Jon Gruden learned a tough lesson with the Williams situation and in 2006, Williams will be used more economically so as not to wear him down too early. This will be aided by Simms’ improvement and the use of backup running back Michael Pittman and fullback Mike Alstott in more running situations. With the rotation becoming more well rounded, Gruden should have a healthy Cadillac Williams ready to roll for the entire 2006 season and the Bucs will reap some rewards from that.
2006 NFL Grade: B+

Wide Receiver/Tight End- Tight ends Dave Moore and Anthony Becht are reliable options at tight end, but are not outstanding and Simms needs all the targets he can get in 2006. As well, there are several receivers that should perform well this season but will probably continue to underachieve. Ike Hilliard, Joe Galloway, and David Boston are either aging or underachievers and Simms needs play makers to continue his improvement in 2006. Look for rookie Maurice Stovall or second year receiver Michael Clayton to step up and become the go to guy for Simms, as Clayton began to become at the end of 2005.
2006 NFL Grade: C+